5 (more) Easy Steps Towards Conscious Living

This post is sponsored by Nakturnal, but all opinions are my own.

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I get it… Making eco-friendly, conscious, healthy, and local shopping changes can feel completely overwhelming. Lately, I’ve seen a few posts floating around, that I love, all about how one small change can make a huge difference! Perhaps you’ve given up plastic straws. Maybe you have started drinking more water/given up soda. Or maybe you are making more of an effort to shop less. Whatever steps you’ve taken—they matter and they make a difference!

If you’ve been looking for ways you can reduce your impact on our planet while increasing your impact for the people living on it, here are five easy ways you can do so! It doesn’t have to be a complete lifestyle shift to make a difference. Just take those small, steady, sustainable actions!

Shop Sustainable & Conscious Jewelry

If there’s one fashion item that there is an abundance of it’s jewelry. It’s often made of cheap materials that are not sustainable, by people working in heartbreaking conditions. Shopping through sustainable and conscious jewelry companies guarantees that you’ll have beautiful jewelry, made in responsible conditions, that will become heirloom pieces you can pass down!

All of the jewelry I’m wearing in these photos came from sustainable jewelry companies (including my ring sets and necklace), and they’re pieces I wear every single day!

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Garden for the Bees

Did you know that our bee population is in serious trouble? They are vital to a healthy eco system, and without them… I don’t even want to think about it! But there are some easy ways you can make a difference and help save our bees! Planting flowers that bees love (like lavender, milkweed, marigold, and pansies) will help ensure their survival. Also avoiding insecticides on your garden, as even the organic ones can contain harmful substances. And finally—leave the dandelions! I know that having a beautiful yard is so important to homeowners. But dandelions provide many pollinators with the sustenance they need. Check out The Honeybee Conservancy for more information and see how you can sponsor a bee hive.

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Shop Small

So many big companies, while providing cheap clothing options, do not use sustainable or responsible production practices. Shopping small and local (at least to your home country) companies will make a big difference! You get what you pay for, and paying a little more for quality, small batched, beautiful pieces will not only make you look better (than wearing cheaply made clothing) but it will make you feel better, too! Some of my favorites are Tradlands, Everlane, DSTLD, Amour Vert, S64 Petite, and Faire Shop.

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Morning Mute

One goal I’m still working on is avoiding my phone for at least the first 30 minutes of my day. Normally I would reach for it, first thing, and start my day off with an email and social media check up. However, that only adds stress to my life, which is exactly what I don’t want. One great way to avoid this is by leaving your phone in another room, or away from your bedside table, going back to a traditional alarm clock, and even using an app to lock your phone for a set amount of time! Apps like Flipd and OFFTIME will help you enforce that goal!

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Find a New Hobby

Picking up a new hobby will not only help you avoid spending time where you maybe should cut back (i.e. social media), but it will also help you develop new, useful skills, feel fulfilled, and help you be a more well-rounded person. I recently decided to teach myself how to play the piano (I had some lessons as a kid, but I remember very little.) and would love to pick up watercoloring! There are so many options out there, so get out and try something new. You could even join a group or class to help you cultivate these new skills.